Writer: Economic opportunity is one way to degrade, ultimately destroy organizations like ISIS

Published
3:17 am CST, Friday, February 27, 2015

To the editor:

Arguments between the political right and left about foreign policy tend to shift into arguments regarding worldview.

The right’s worldview about foreign affairs was clearly on display in Scott Stantis’s editorial cartoon in Saturday’s Laredo Morning Times from February 21.

A giant, black (of course), insect-like monster labeled “Radical Islam” was threatening to devour the entire globe, while President Obama straddled the Indian Ocean and spoke to it regarding job opportunities.

How ridiculous, in the context of the cartoon!

The context of that cartoon and the worldview displayed in it, are completely at odds with reality.

Radical Islam consists of people. Compared to total inhabitants of the world, it’s not even a very large number of people.

They are not trying to destroy the world so that no one (including themselves) can live on it.

They are trying to impose their will on the social, political, and religious institutions of the area in which they live.

There are aspects of that we will find hostile and backward, and we don’t approve of their methods, but the point is that it is a conflict of human agendas between human beings.

No giant space bugs are involved.

In that context, addressing social conditions in the Middle East makes infinitely more sense, because the lack of opportunity in much of the Islamic world makes it easier for ISIS and similar organizations to recruit.

Fewer young people will take up the machine gun or the suicide vest if they have better alternatives.

Economic opportunity is one way we can degrade and ultimately destroy organizations like ISIS.

It’s not the only avenue, of course.

There have been thousands of air strikes and drone strikes against ISIS, led by the U.S. military.

It is a complex problem and requires solutions that address causes as well as effects.

There is no “magic button” we can push to get rid of ISIS forever.

Consequently, it’s no use to adopt, or even consider, paranoid us-or-them science-fiction-space-monster views of the matter.